Control switch



Aug. 29, 1950 J, w, BITL R W 2,520,709

, CONTROL SWITCH Filed May 8, 1947 y Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F INVENT JOHN W. BIT

ATTORNEYS Aug. 29, 1950 p Filed May 8, 1947 FIG..

J. w. BITLER CONTROL SWITCH 'FIG.7

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR JOHN W. BITLER ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 29, 1950 UNITED- STATES PATENT OFF [LC-E CONTROL SWITCH John W. Bitler', Minster, (Ihifl,-,8S$ig110ltfo 'Ilhe Minster Machine Gompany, Minster, Ohio, a

corporation of Qhio- This invention relates to electrical switches adapted for high speed operations in making or breaking electric circuits, and particularly relates to a rotary type of electrical switch.

An object of the invention is to provide a circu-itbreaker or electric switch of the commutator type wherein it is not essential for contacts to open and close, but rather electric circuit is made through a sliding type of contact arrange ment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rotary circuit breaker having an infinite ad j-ustment in the current breaking or current carrying period from substantially zero to a maximum determinedby the arcuatesegment of either the current conducting or current insulating segments of the circuit breaker.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved rotary circuit breaker that is simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture and will have a long life;

Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the drawings and the following description.

the drawings:

Figure l is across-sectional view illustrating the circuit breaker of this invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 33' of Figure 1'.

Figure 4* is a perspective diagrammatic showing of the contact segments of the circuit breaker illustrated in Figures 1 to 3.

Figure 5- is a cross-sectional view of a modified arrangement of the circuit breaker shown in Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectionalview of another modified arrangement of the circuit breaker illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure '7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 11 of Figure 6.

In- Figures l to 3' there is illustrated a rotary circuit breaker adapted for high speed circuit breaking operation. This device consists of a housing In that has a pair of parallel arms I l and I2 therein. A cover I3 closes the housing.

The housing has a pair of end caps l4 and I5 each of which carries a sealed anti-friction bearing l6 and I1, respectively. The end caps are secured to the housing by cap screws [8".

A drive shaft 20" is journal'ed in the bearings l6 and [:1; This drive shaft is adapted tobe powered in any suitable manner" either inde pendently of a mechanism to be controlled or" by a mechanism to be controlled, depending upon the nature of the control to be obtained, by operation of the circuit breaker.

The drive shatt. 2.0 has an enlargement- 2| thereon preferably shaped in the form. of a hexagonali head upon which. a suitable wrench can be applied. The opposite end of. the drive shaft 20 receives a friction locking nut 22 which holds the circuit-carrying elements of the circuit breaker irr predetermined positions.

The circuit breaking elements of the circuit breaker consist of cooperating pairs of current conducting rings 25 and: 26. In Figure 1 there are illustrated two pairs of current conducting rings, but since. they are both: constructed in a like manner; only one: of them will be described.

The current conducting ring 25' consists of a current conducting segment 28 and. an electrical insulalt'ing segment 29 These segments 28 and 29 are mounted on an electricalv insulating carrying ring 30. It will be noted that the current conducting segment and. the electrical insulating segment of the current conducting ring 25 each equal: approximately of circumference of the ring: 2.5;

The current conducting: ring 26 is constructed a manner like the current conducting ring 25 but consists of the current conducting segment 311 and: the electrical. insulating segment 32 which are carried upon the electrical insulating ring 33.

As illustrated in: Figure 1,. the current conducting rings 25 and Z6 are mounted in side-by-side relationship on the drive shaft 20'.

A- current conducting brush 35 engages the periphery of the current conducting ring 25 and a similar current conducting brush 26 engages the periphery of the current conducting ring 28.

The current conducting segments 28 and 31 of the rings 2 5 and 26 respectively, are adapted to engage along their edge surfaces and are adapted to overlap in their engagement as illustrated in Figure 4. It will therefore be apparent that with the brushes 35 and 36 on diametrically opposite sidesof current" conducting rings 25 and 26 and with the current conducting segments 28 and 3| segment 28 that current will be carried between the brushes 35 and for an extremely short interval of time, depending upon the width of the brushes. By varying the arcuate length of the current conducting segments 28 and 3|, the period of current conduction or of circuit breaking can be controlled at will. However, within the limits of the arcuate length of the current conducting segments 28 and 3| there is an infinite adjustment from a substantially zero period of current conduction to a period equal to substantially 180 of rotation of the current conducting rings 25 and 26.

To adjust the current conducting rings 25 and 26 relative to on another rotatively, the friction locking nut 22 is rotated on the shaft 20 to allow freedom of rotation of the rings 25 and 26 on the shaft 20. When the proper setting of the rings is obtained the lock nut 22 is tightened and the rings are then friction-held in their preset relationship.

In Figure 1 there are illustrated two sets of current conducting rings 25 and 26 provided with a spacer 4B therebetween. The two sets of current conducting rings can be used either for breaking both power lines of an electric circuit or could be used for controlling individual electric circuits to separately controlled devices adapted to operate together or in a predetermined sequence.

InFigure 5 there is illustrated a modification of the device shown in Figures 1 to 3. In this arrangement of the apparatus the circuit breaker consists of the housing Hi2 having the end caps I40; and [5a which carry the anti-friction bearings ifia and Ila respectively, the bearings supporting the drive shaft a.

' The shaft 23a carries the current conducting rings 25a and 26a, which are held in spaced relationship by the insulating spacer 90. The current conducting rings 25a and 26a are constructed in the same manner as heretofore described with reference to the comparable rings shown in Figure 1.

In this instance, however, the current is conducted from the current conducting segment of the ring 26a to the current conducting segment of the ring 25a by means of the brushes 9i and 92 slidably disposed in the metal sleeve 93 and spring-pressed against the cooperating current conducting segments by means of the spring 94.

In this arrangement there is shown only one circuit breaking device, but it will be understood that by use of cooperating pairs of current conducting rings in the shaft 29, that other circuits can be controlled.

In Figure 6 there is illustrated another modified form of the circuit breaker particularly with regard to the construction of the current conducting rings. In this arrangement each of the current conducting rings '75 is provided with a plurality of parallel slots around the periphery thereof in each of which there is placed a current conducting segment 18 forming somewhat of a conventional commutator. The springpressed current conducting brushes 11 and 18 are disposed side by side as shown in Figure '7 in a common plane extending through the axis of the current conducting ring 80.

To provide for a period of current conduction during rotation of the ring 80, a wire BI is imbedded in a groove provided in the periphery of the ring 80 thereby shorting several of the current conducting segments 16 and in effect rendering them a single segment. By controlling the member of segments that are thus shorted, the period of current conduction can be controlled. I

While the forms of the apparatus shown and described herein illustrate preferred arrangements of the invention, yet it will be understood that modifications that fall within the scope of the appended claims are intended to be included herein.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A rotary circuit breaker comprising, a rotatable shaft, a circuit breaking element mounted on said shaft, said circuit breaking element consisting of a pair of insulating rings rotatable with respect to one another and having current conducting segments flush mounted thereon electrically connected through adjacent edges and displaceable relative one to the other by rotation of the rings relative to each other to regulate the total length of current conducting segment for conducting current through the circuit breaking element, each such segment comprising substantially degrees of the peripheryof its supporting ring, and a brush engaging the periphery of each said ring for conducting current to and from said current conducting seg-- ments, said brushes being diametrically opposite each other about the periphery of said circuit breaker;

2. A rotary circuit breaker comprising, a rotatable shaft, a circuit breaking element mounted on said shaft, said circuit breaking element consisting of a pair of annular rings of insulating material rotatable with respect to one-another and having current conducting segments flush mounted thereon electrically connected through adjacent edges and displaceable relative one to the other by rotation of the rings relative to each other to regulate the total length of current conducting segment for conducting current through the circuit breaking element, each of said segments comprising substantially 180 degrees of the periphery of its supporting ring, a pair of brushes resiliently engaging the periphery of each said ring for conducting current to and from said current conducting segments said brushes being diametrically opposite, and means for holding said rings in edge engagement with each other and in fixed position relative one to the other on said shaft. V

3. A rotary circuit breaker comprising, a rotatable shaft, a circuit breaking element mounted on said shaft, said circuit breaking element consisting of a plurality of annular rings of electrical insulating material arranged in side-by-side engaging relationship and rotatable with respect to each other, said rings each having an arcuate current conducting segment flush mounted in the periphery thereof and'extending the full width of the said periphery so as to be electrically connected with the current conducting segments of the other rings by edge engagement therewith when said rings are clamped together on said shaft, and a pair of brush means engaging the peripheries of said rings for engaging said current conducting segments for conducting current through the circuit breaking element.

4. A rotary circuit breaker comprising, a rotatable shaft, a circuit breaking element mounted on said shaft, said circuit breaking element consisting of a plurality of annular rings of electrical insulating material arranged in side-byside engaging relationship and rotatable with respect to each other, said rings each having an arcuate current conducting segment setinto the periphery thereof so the entire periphery of each ring is flush, each such segment being electrically connected with the current conducting segments of the other rings by edge engagement therewith, a pair of brush means engaging the periphery of said circuit breaking element for conducting current to and from said current conducting segments, and means for urging said rings into engagement with one another for frictional holding thereof in fixed relationship relative to each other, said means comprising fixed and adjustable abutment means on said shaft on opposite sides of said rings.

5. A rotary circuit breaker comprising, a rotatable shaft, a circuit breaking element mounted on said shaft, said circuit breaking element consisting of a pair of rings of electrical insulating material arranged in side-by-side engaging relationship and rotatable on said shaft with respect to each other, said rings each having an arcuate current conducting segment on the periphery thereof electrically connected with the current conducting segment of the other ring through edge engagement of said current conducting segments, a threaded member threaded on said shaft engaging one of said rings and urging the said rings together to hold them in a fixed position relative to each other, and a pair of brush means engaging the periphery of said circuit breaking element and engaging said current conducting segments for conducting current through the circuit breaking element each said ring and its segment presenting a flush surface to its corresponding brush as said shaft turns.

6. A rotary circuit breaker comprising, a re tatable shaft, a circuit breaking element mounted on said shaft, said circuit breaking element consisting of a plurality of rings arranged in sideby-side relationship and rotatable on said shaft with respect to each other, said rings each having an arcuate current conducting segment flush mounted on the periphery thereof and extending partway about the periphery of its supporting ring, means electrically connecting the current conducting segments of the rings comprising resiliently mounted brush means extending between edge surfaces of the respective current conducting segments, and brush means bearing on the periphery of said circuit breaking element and intermittently engaging said current conducting segments for intermittently conducting curren through the circuit breaking element.

7. A rotary circuit breaker comprising, a housing, a shaft journaled in said housing, a pair of rings of insulating material on said shaft within said housing and annularly grooved, alternate segments of insuiating and conductive material mounted in the grooves of said rings and forming a fiush periphery thereabout, a brush insulatingly mounted in said housing for each ring resiliently bearing on the periphery thereof to engage the conductive segment thereon as the shaft turns, means electrically connecting the conductive segments of said rings, said rings being angularly adjustable on said shaft to vary the total peripheral extent of the conductive element formed by the interconnected conductive segments, and clamping means for clamping said rings in any position of adjustment on said shaft.

8. In a rotary circuit breaker; a pair of rings positioned side-by-side and each having a flush annular surface comprising an insulating segment and a conductive segment, said conductive segments being electrically connected, a brush bearing on each ring, means for rotating said rings and brushes relatively whereby said brushes intermittently contact said conductive segments and are interconnected when both en gage their respective conductive segments, and are disconnected when either is not in contact with its conductive segment, and means for varying the effective peripheral extent of the conductive element formed by said interconnected segments, thereby to vary the length of time said brushes are connectedduring one complete relative rotation of said rings and brushes.

JOHN W. BITLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,463,253 Cermak July 31, 1923 1,731,513 Wagner Oct. 15, 1929 

